


A different kind of magic

by Lost_in_thoughts



Series: Modern AU [5]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Aphrodisiacs, Explicit Language, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 13:37:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8210545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_in_thoughts/pseuds/Lost_in_thoughts
Summary: Lambert and Vica go on a trip together-with an unexpected outcome.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This one is for the lovely @murderous-birdie from tumblr who wanted a story where Lambert and Vica get lost. Well, they get lost, actually in more than one respect. I hope you enjoy it.  
> A big shoutout to both @akhuna and @Nanna_Jemima who supported me and came up with the most hilarious ideas.  
> I hope all of you enjoy it! :)

„So, where are we going afterwards?“ Vica asked, her feet tapping on the ground.

Lambert checked his hair in the window of the little restaurant Vica had chosen for lunch and smirked. „Surprise.“

She finished her tomato soup and eyed him carefully. „You've no idea what to do this afternoon, right?“

„Wrong,“ he stated flatly, his gaze wandering over her colourful blouse with the rather nice neckline. The view got even better when she bent forward. Lambert took a sip of his coffee and let his mind wander. Vica had suggested this little trip. Of course. Only she could deem it a good idea to roam through the backwoods of the continent, do research on rare bug species and call it a vacation. He hadn't have a say in the whole matter, since there were some affairs he had to make up for (including beating up one of her fellow students and abuse her favourite lab dog as a decoy for a wyvern hunt). In the end he had no other chance than to agree to the little trip into the back of beyond. To be honest, it wasn't half as bad as he'd inititally thought. He had been able to negotiate some contracts upfront so he wouldn't have to sit around all day and watch Vica playing with some beetles.

On their first day in the little hut they had rent for a rather reasonable price they had visited the nearby town. Well, it was more of an assemblage of houses with a gas station, a pub, a fast food restaurant and the mandatory general store. This particular one, however, was so genereal that after a while of trivial and exhausting chatter, the owner had offered Lambert a rifle. After some trial shots in the backyard he had bought the gun and a bar of chocolate for Vica.

The second evening into their holidays he had visited the pub to taste the local beer. It tasted like anything but beer. Truth be told, it didn't even smell like beer. Brooding over the money he had wasted on that plonk, he halfheartedly listened to the trivial chatter of the local hillbillies. A bunch of girls had talked about that „super exciting and magical site in the woods“, „a place where true love is born“. Utter bullshit, obviously. When the village youth went on with their nonsense about that site, being even so nice as to give the exact location, he remembered listening to similar stories in the course of his witcher life. Usually it had something to do with rituals and drug-induced hallucinations. He wondered what Vica would think about that matter. After all, she was a scientist and as such not prone to believe in magic love. Fates bound together by a djinn however formed an exception for obvious reasons. While gulping down the beer-like fluid, Lambert made a decision.

„Lambert? Are you even listening?“

She bent forward even more, a gesture that brought a grin to his face. „'Course. Believe me, pup, you'll like the place we're going to. But first, treat yourself to a milkshake. A plate of soup isn't a proper meal.“

Plus a milkshake would buy him time to enjoy the view of her neckline a little longer. Half an hour later they sat in his jeep, Vica tapping her feet on the floor panel in anticipation. „C'mon, Lambert, would you finally tell me where we're going? Pretty please?“

He smirked. „It's called surprise for a reason.“

„Since when exactly do you like surprises?“ She asked, a steep furrow in her forehead.

„I don't. But I like you being all hyped and not knowing what's going on.“

Vica rolled her eyes and pulled a book from the glovebox. Bukowski. He couldn't comprehend how a cheerful girl like her could read such misanthropic stuff but she had explained that she tried to understand what had formed Bukowski's thoughts. Lambert's bet was on a mixture of alcohol, drugs, women and melancholic blues. Whatever, her being invested in a book gave him the pleasure of a calm and silent drive. After a few minutes he adjusted the rear-view mirror so that he could look directly into her neckline. Now the trip was really enjoyable.

When they arrived half an hour later he realized that the place wasn't as spectacular as the youngsters had depicted it. In the middle of the clearing where he had parked the car there were five weathered boulders surrounding the ruins of what might have been an altar site decades or even centuries ago. The only thing that was clearly recognisable nowadays was a circular foundation with the remains of a well in the middle of it.

For a bunch of hillbillies this could be a magical place indeed, since this site was probably the most interesting thing within fifty miles. For him as a witcher, it had by no means been worth the ride, because not even a monster would bother living in such a sloppy ruin. But maybe Vica would enjoy it nonetheless.

She grinned at him, obviously not quite sure what to make of that situation. „I thought you wouldn't take me with you for a hunt?“

He shook his head. „Never. But this, pup, is a most remarkable place. Don't you feel the aura of magic around?“

„Lambert, are you drunk?“

He grabbed her hand and led her to the well. „No. Guess what? This is a magic place, a place where true love is born.“

She laughed. „Lambert, you could give Dandelion a run for his money.“ She gave him a quick kiss and eyed the ruin. „Alright, you very well know that I don't believe in that magic love bullshit. Neither do you. So what are we doing here?“

He followed her and put his arm around her waist. „We don't, but the village kids do believe that nonsense. I ask you, pup. What do you make of a place like this combined with stories about finding true love in here?“

She shrugged. „Well, given the boulders and the circular shape of the foundation, it looks like a ritual site. Several centuries old, by the look of it.“

„Fine. What about the true love part?“

„Well, depends on how we determine true love.“ She bit her underlip. „In science, common things are common. What isn't common, is something like true love, especially not if we take into account that there were youngsters talking. If we translate the true love part into something more substantial for young people, it would translate into having sex.“

„Is this what you've done when you were younger?“ he smirked. „Strolling into the woods with some guys to have sex?“

She raised an eyebrow. „What happened in the woods stays in the woods.“

„We'll discuss this later on, pup. So, how do these two things play together?“

„It's quite simple if you have some basic knowledge about how rituals are arranged. If there's real magic involved, it's most likely coming from an amulet. But this place lies decayed for so long, I'm sure that at one point some people deemed it a good idea to look for hidden treasures. So it's probably safe to say that if there were any amulets, they are gone by now.“ She thought for a moment. „The second method for getting into the right mood for some sexy ritual time is using aphrodisiacs. Applied in the correct dosage they definitely give you a magic feeling.“

„Another thing you've learned in your youth? Never thought you kids from the big cities were that wild.“

„You haven't got the faintest idea,“ she murmured, „which things you have to do for science.“

„Wait, what? You're eating aphrodisiacs and organize orgies at the university? Where can I matriculate?“

She laughed. „Confusing reality and porn, Lambert. There are of course people who experimented with aphrodisiacs. Otherwise nobody would have the vaguest clue what those substances do. But I want to clarify that I didn't try any aphrodisiacs in my life, neither for science nor for fun. And I haven't heard of any orgies at the university. Well at least none in the last fifty years.“

Lambert was dead certain that she lied and he swore to himself to get the truth out of her at one point. But this was a mission for another day.

Vica pondered for a moment, then bent over to inspect the remains of the well. Lambert followed her on high alert. „What do you do there?“

„Research. This is an adventure, right?“ Without another word, she flung her legs above the edge and climbed into the ruin.

Lambert groaned. He should've known better. Wasn't spending time with her for well over a year enough to know that coming up with stupid ideas like jumping into a well on a ritual site was totally her thing? He cursed himself when he jumped into the well.

It was dark down there. Dark and dirty and dusty. Vica drew her mobile from her pocket and turned the flashlight on. She inspected every single inch of the well. Finally she got to her knees to crawl through a narrow course leading devil knew where. Just as Lambert had come to the conclusion that this well was fucking boring, he heard her triumphant „Ha!“ He sighed. „You alright?“

„I found the reason for the true love thing. Come here!“

He muttered some curses under his breath. He'd ruin both his jeans and his jacket by using that passage, but if he didn't follow Vica, he'd ruin his hearing because she'd shred it with her excited exclamations.

After some minutes of crawling through mud and cobwebs the path ended in a brick-built room with a ceiling so low that he couldn't stand upright. Neither could Vica, though being a head smaller than him. But she didn't need to, he noticed, since she inspected the antique-looking clasp of a pipe-construction that traversed the whole room, leading into the ceiling. It probably had a connection to the surface somewhere.

„Guess there's some kind of aphrodisiac gas depot in the ground. It's very likely that some mage came up with a spell to preserve the substance so they didn't need to refill the depot before every ritual.“ She beckoned him. „Look here. Once you open the clasp, the gas will stream through the pipes and to the surface. Making you high and horny and maybe simulating the feeling of true love.“

„Well done, Sherlock.“ Lambert bowed his head mockingly, „you've solved the riddle. Earned yourself another icecream. But how do the kids get high when the clasp's closed ?“

She smiled. „The kids you overheard. Girls or boys?“

„Girls.“ He started grinning when the penny dropped. „You mean...?“

„Yes,“ she nodded, „They don't know the cause, just the effect. Their knights in shining armor leading them here aren't that knightly after all. Simply boys searching for some fun who figured out how this place works.“

„Should buy them a beer. Good boys.“

„Guess the girls' parents would beg to differ.“ She clapped her hands. „Well, that was nice. You were talking about icecream?

He nodded and turned around. „Be cautious where you step, pup.“

He should've known better. The moment he heard her trip he should've been aware that probably hell would break lose. But when she merrily exclaimed „Nothing happened!“ he believed her, simply because he wanted to. Big mistake.

Once they had left the well he looked around. The sun illuminated the woods, birds were chirping and Vica stood beside him, her hand around his waist. What a nice afternoon. It took him a moment to realize what utter bullshit he was thinking. It took him another moment to take a deep breath and detect a faint herbal smell. Slowly, way too slowly for a normal functioning witcher brain a suspicion arose. When he turned to Vica to ask her upon what exactly she had stumbled down there he felt her lips on his. Alright, there was his answer. Clumsy as she was she must have managed to open the clasp and release the aphrodisiacs onto the surface. Really strong ones as it seemed, since they didn't only affect her but him as well. Splendid!

There were two possibilities now. He could either use this window of opportunity or play the reasonable one. By now Vica had slid her hands under his shirt and kissed his neck. He groaned. Then tried to concentrate on her touches and her appealing neckline. Then groaned again when he realized that this wasn't what Vica wanted but what the aphrodisiacs made her do.

„Vica, we...“

But she didn't listen. Of course not. That gas streaming from the well was so strong that it seemed to be a present from the whore of Babylon herself. He noticed his heart beating nearly as fast as the one of a normal human. Not a good sign. Not at all. When Vica began to fumble with his belt, he took her hand.

„The car...“ was everything he could stutter at that moment.

„But...“ she pouted. He shook his head and dragged her to his jeep, where he opened the door to the passenger seat.

„The backseat's more comfortable, y'know?“ He closed his eyes for a moment. He did know indeed. But the fact that he remembered the times he had spent with Vica on said backseat didn't help him to think clearly. Not at all. The seductive look she gave him wasn't much use to him either. He sighed. „Fasten your seatbelt.“

He went to his side of the car. Before entering, he took a deep breath. What a fucked up situation. He hoped that fresh oxygen would help his organism to get rid of the aphrodisiacs more quickly. When he finally got in the car Vica awaited him – without her blouse on.

He looked at her and sighed. He hadn't signed up for that kind of trial. „Vica, you should dress yourself.“

She put on the smile that was reserved for their more intimate moments together. „You like what you see?“

That girl would kill him. Of course he liked what he saw. How could he possibly not? He had a weakness for red lace, a fact even the sober Vica was keenly aware of. He swallowed, closed his eyes and tried to come up with a solution. „Vica...I've got a surprise for you. In our cabin. So let's go there.“

She shook her head, took his hand and laid it on her bra. „I can give you a surprise as well, Lambert. Right here.“

Fuck. This wouldn't work. He couldn't talk any sense into her at that state. Very well. There was still one possibility left. He took her chin in his hand, brought his face close to hers and gnarled, his voice low. „Get dressed. Now. Otherwise you'll walk home.“

She paused for a moment, then put on her blouse and smirked. „I like it when you play dominant. Can you show me more of that once we're in the cabin?“

„'Course.“ he muttered while starting the car. When he drove out of the woods he was nearly proud of himself. He didn't know that he had that much self-control. To don't strain it any further he adjusted the rear-view mirror back to its normal position. Back on the regular street he thought about the quickest way back to their cottage – and realized that he couldn't. He simply didn't remember the way. Great. As if this day couldn't have gotten any worse. Sitting in a car in the back of beyond, a horny girl on the passenger seat and an acute suffering from orientation weakness.

After ten miles driving around the area, trying to figure out a way back, he was none the wiser.

Vica, curling a strand of hair between her fingers, observed him with interest. „Are we lost, Lambert?“ She smiled. „We don't have to go back to the cabin, y'know? We still have the backseat.“

Indeed. And if she pestered him with that naughty ideas of hers any longer he might as well engage in them because his self-control was on the edge of falling apart.

„I am not lost, pup. Unlike you. Behave like a normal person, for fucks sake.“

She grinned. „Maybe I like to be lost. And we could be lost together, here, in the middle of nowhere, on your backseat.“ She caressed his thigh with her fingers. When she saw his furious gaze, she sighed, pulled her hand away and rolled her eyes. „You're such a killjoy.“ She nodded towards a crossing. „There's a road sign, Mr sense of direction.“

Half an hour and approximately twenty of Vica's advances later they reached the cabin. Vica grinned naughtily. „So, you wanna go to the bedroom? Or the tub? Or the kitchen table?“

Truth be told the only things he wanted at this point were a strong coffee and a bit of rest. He went to her and gave her a kiss. „What about you take a shower and I'll join you in ten minutes?“

He tried to run out the clock. He didn't know the ingredients of the gas they had inhaled but at one point it should lose its effect. At least he hoped so.

She returned the kiss, playfully bit his under lip and grabbed his butt. „Ten minutes, Lambert.“

When he heard her turning on the shower he sighed and sank into the armchair in the living room.

Fifteen minutes later Vica came to him, wrapped in a towel, with wet hair and a tired look on her face.

„Lambert?“

„Hm?“

„I'm tired. May I go to bed?“

He stood up and kissed her on the forehead. „'Course.“ She looked as if she had the hangover of the century. Poor pup, but at least that meant that he hadn't have to push his self-control any further.

„Could you bring me, please?“ She asked and he noticed that she was getting more tired by the second. He hoped that she was indeed tired and this wasn't just another aphrodisiacs-driven scheme to get into his pants. But he decided to believe her words, so he lifted her and took her to the bedroom, where he even helped her into her nightclothes.

„Sleep well,“ he said before he left the room.

The next morning he was woken by the sound of weeping. He needed a moment to comprehend the situation and to handle his headache before he sat up and looked over to Vica. She sat on her side of the bed, her head resting on her tucked up legs. He moved a little closer and laid one hand on her back. „Pup? You alright?“

She looked up and shook her head. By the look of it she had cried for some time now. Lambert hated seeing her like that. Crying women in general were a thing he couldn't manage well because it was annoying and pointless and a waste of time. But seeing her cry was even worse. Not because he found it annoying but… he simply didn't want her to be sad.

„I'm so sorry, Lambert.“

„What for?“ He asked, still too tired to make sense of the situation.

„Yesterday. I… I've been so stupid, we're always told to be cautious when dealing with old buildings and stuff and you told me a hundred times to be alert and I...“

„You behaved like you always do, yes. But c'mon, nobody got killed in the process, so everything's alright.“

 She snuffled. „It isn't. I behaved like a whore afterwards. I'm so, so sorry.“

Lambert rolled over to his nightstand and got her a tissue. „Y'know, just because you're a scientist doesn't mean you're immune to drugs.“ What reproach could he possibly make her? Not even he had been immune to this infernal stuff from the well.

She looked at him, tears still streaming down her face. „I'm so ashamed.“

He grinned. „Unnecessary. I know that I'm sexy.“

„Thank you,“ she said, a little smile coming to her face while she brushed away the tears, „for not taking advantage of the situation.“

He simply nodded. „What about icecream for breakfast?“

„Are you still mad at me?“

„I wasn't,“ he raked his fingers through his hair, „at least not really. Was quite a show you delivered. And, to be honest, that bra you wore IS really something.“

She smiled weakly.„Can you hug me, please?“

He did. After some moments and a long kiss he smirked. „Since you're sober now...your offer from yesterday, the one with the kitchen table. Does that still hold?“


End file.
